Rory McIlroy may NEVER recover from this US Open - he was 7ft from glory but instead, a week that began with him calling off his divorce still ends in heartbreak

Shortly earlier 4pm connected Sunday, nan clouds concisely parted and nan power was turned up astir Pinehurst. Many of nan world’s finest players had already fallen astatine nan feet of this unforgiving cradle of American golf. But Rory McIlroy was still standing. 

After three-and-half-gruelling days. After 10 years of heartache and difficult lessons. Since winning nan 2014 PGA Championship, a 5th awesome has lingered for illustration a mirage connected nan horizon. McIlroy has nursed scar insubstantial and fought doubts. He has visited Jesus and decided that only by learning patience would he debar much waiting. All for afternoons specified arsenic this. There person been a adjacent few.

There person been near-misses and McIlroy has fto glory gaffe done his fingers before. But ne'er rather for illustration this.

McIlroy felt earlier this US Open that he was person than ever to ending his drought. He was right.

With 3 holes to play of an bonzer last time of a bonkers week, nan Northern Irishman led Bryson DeChambeau by 1 shot. He had a par putt from 2ft 6ins. He missed it. And past connected 18, McIlroy had different par putt from 3ft 9ins. He missed it.

That opened nan doorway for DeChambeau to triumph his 2nd US Open. He had a par putt from 3ft 11ins. He didn't miss it.

You person to wonderment really McIlroy will retrieve from this. You person to wonderment will that 5th awesome ever arrive.

Both he and DeChambeau had promised boring play each week. Both treated america to an unthinkable tug of war. Every spread brought much and much chaos. McIlroy began nan time 3 shots down but by nan 14th tee, he was 2 successful front. 

It was nan first clip he had been outright leader each week. It was ne'er going to beryllium that easy. But having turned nan tide pinch 4 birdies successful 5 holes, McIlroy - nan 2011 champion - turned nan weapon connected his foot. He bogeyed 15, 16 and 18 and watched DeChambeau triumph it pinch a singular up-and-down.

Having sent his thrust down adjacent nan grandstand, nan 2020 Champion hacked nan shot into a bunker. Somehow, he put it adjacent - 'it was nan changeable of my life' - and he held his nerve. For nan second-successive US Open, McIlroy mislaid by a shot. That is now 20 top-10 finishes since he past won a major. 

After DeChambeau secured victory, nan Northern Irishman could only front his caput and past unreserved for nan car. McIlroy was retired of Pinehurst successful a flash but he won't beryllium capable to outrun nan implications of this. A week that started pinch news that his divorcement was disconnected ended successful heartbreak.

The leaderboard shows that this final-round 69 near him connected five-under-par, 1 down DeChambeau, 1 up of Tony Finau and Patrick Cantlay. What it doesn't show? That McIlroy was little than 7ft from lifting nan trophy.

This was nan first clip he and Cantlay had played together since past year’s Ryder Cup, erstwhile simmering tensions boiled complete successful Rome. There was a tepid clasp connected nan first tee yesterday earlier some began a communal mission: reel successful DeChambeau.

At that point, nan overnight leader was engaged connected nan range, testing marque caller driver heads 15 minutes earlier his tee time.

Four years person passed since DeChambeau won this tournament, having put connected 40lbs and turned his crippled into a unrecorded subject experiment.

The 30-year-old became a pantomime villain and past a LIV rebel. Recently, though, DeChambeau has go an improbable favorite.

There are plentifulness who wonderment if this caller image is simply a carefully-curated PR exercise. Pinehurst didn’t attraction either way. And connected Sunday DeChambeau was thrust connected to nan backmost ft immediately. His opening tee changeable settled successful a divot and past a roar rolled backmost up nan fairway arsenic McIlroy sunk an opening birdie putt from 20ft. We had lift-off.

DeChambeau’s first thrust pinch that caller look missed nan fairway and nan leader flirted pinch problem connected respective of nan early holes. His powers of recovery, truthful awesome connected Saturday, grounded him astatine 4 and abruptly nan spread was one. 

DeChambeau could see himself fortunate that Cantlay had an early wobble, too. And that McIlroy was a unfortunate of sadistic luck. A booming 2nd changeable into nan par-five 5th looked to person group up a imaginable eagle chance. 

Instead, McIlroy’s shot trickled each nan measurement into nan autochthonal area and he ended up pinch a bogey. It was that benignant of time - survive. Make do. Every passing spread brought nan imaginable of a reshuffle astatine nan top.

McIlroy made gutsy par saves astatine 7 and eight. Then he made his move. A birdie astatine nan par-three ninth took him to wrong 1 of DeChambeau. They were tied minutes later, erstwhile McIlroy went back-to-back and sparked bedlam successful nan galleries astir nan 10th green.

Behind him, DeChambeau was bad boy disconnected nan tee and riding his luck. Before long, though, he was backmost retired connected his own. For a fewer minutes astatine least. McIlroy simply would not fto DeChambeau get distant - aft nan 2020 champion moved to seven-under astatine 10, McIlroy responded pinch yet different birdie. 

And past he turned nan tables. The Northern Irishman recovered a birdie astatine 13, DeChambeau bogeyed 12 and we had a 2 changeable swing. Another should person followed almost immediately, erstwhile McIlroy recovered problem and DeChambeau had a makeable birdie putt. 

The Northern Irishman made bogey astatine 15 but then, somehow, truthful did his rival. What a clip for DeChambeau to make his first three-putt of nan full week. What a clip for McIlroy to miss from wrong 3 feet. 

He was 496-for-496 from location this play until he reached nan 16th. He couldn't miss connected nan greens for overmuch of Sunday. And then, each of a sudden, McIlroy couldn’t make a thing. The hold goes on. The bleeding conscionable will not stop.